| Mix the old with the brand spanking new, throw in some culture
and add lots of great restaurants and you have the perfect recipe
for a city, and the city’s name is Frankfurt. This chic, trendy
city is the now the fifth biggest city in Germany and its still
growing. Frankfurt is on the river Main and it actually dates back
to Roman times. It actually took its name from the Frank settlers of
794 who lived by the river, which in those days was a ford or as
they called it then a furt, the name Frankfurt was born and it’s
stuck ever since. It’s a city that has got an impressive pedigree,
many Kings and Emperors were crowned there, it saw battles in the
Napoleonic Wars and was the home to famous residents such as Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe who said “Frankfurt is full of curiosities” he
was certainly right about that.
Business is very important to Frankfurt and housed in the modern
day futuristic skyline are some of the world’s top companies.
Business travelers arrive in their droves; European business people
can fly into the city in the morning and fly out in the evening,
just a typical day at the office. A whole culture of business
amenities have been established to cater for this kind of traveler,
with concierge services, business hotels and networking events.
For those that don’t intend to work when they visit the city,
there’s a wide range of different sights, activities and culture to
keep them busy. If museums are the type of attraction that you like
to visit then you won’t be disappointed here, Frankfurt boast an
eclectic range of venues from the Goethe-Haus which is a
reconstruction of Goethes birth place, to the Museum fur Angewandte
Kunst which is a European and Asian decorative arts museum and the
impressive Stadel Museum that holds collections of important artists
like Rembrandt, Renoir and Botticelli.
If you are keen to take a little bit of Frankfurt home with you,
then the shopping is great. You have a wide selection of gift shops
to choose from all selling the usual beer steins and ornate plates,
there’s the modern shopping centre and there are some good markets
to visit.
When the average person thinks about German cuisine they think of
sauerkraut and sausage but laden down with international influences,
Frankfurt is bursting at the seams with a wide variety of vibrant
restaurants. Mediterranean, Asian, German, Italian, French and
countless other cuisines are readily available, if you have a
favorite type of food or you just want to try something a little bit
different then ask concierge at your hotel to recommend a restaurant
or ask at the tourist information office.
The tourist information office in Frankfurt is a goldmine of
knowledge. It’s located at the Main Train Station in Reception Hall,
so ideal for those arriving by train. They are extremely friendly
there and keen to ensure you make the most of your time in their
city. It’s a good idea to pick up a map when you are there, so you
don’t waste valuable time getting lost.
If you’ve not been to Germany before then Frankfurt will be the
start of a love affair with it and if you have visited other German
cities before, then you’ll find that a visit to Frankfurt is well
worth the effort. |
